The 2026-27 season will mark the first time in ten years that Pep Guardiola has not been one of the dominant forces in the Premier League. After six Premier League trophies and a Champions League title to his name, Pep Guardiola finally closed the curtains on his time at Manchester City, making way for a new era. Now, as the season nears closer, it appears that an irreplaceable player could be on their way out. Here is how Manchester City might look next season.
Roberto De Zerbi managed to do something remarkable in quickly instilling a high intensity, press and possess 4-3-3, whilst predominantly just showing the players that they were cared for and looked after. With more time to properly employ his methodologies, we could see a Tottenham Hotspur side ready to challenge for the top four. Here is how Spurs could look next season under Roberto De Zerbi.
After a string of successive failings at Manchester United, Michael Carrick brought a breath of fresh air to the club at the start of the year. The Red Devils lost just two of their seventeen matches with Carrick in charge, winning twelve and drawing three. We'll never know what might have been possible had he been in charge from the start of last season. But now we'll get a chance to find out all that is possible in 2026-27. The next few weeks will now be Carrick's time to prepare the squad for all the continued harmony they witnessed from January to June. Integrating Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos will be important puzzle pieces in that quest. And as they do, Carrick just might found out whether or not he still needs to find a like-for-like replacement for Casemiro.
At the time of Ruben Amorim's shock sacking, Manchester United sat sixth in the table. There were signs of hope and progress, but also much in the way of disappointment and misalignment. Since Carrick entered the frame at Old Trafford, the Red Devils have won four in a row, closing the gap on City in second to just three points. This is a United team that are not only playing with simultaneous swagger and stability. But a team that is rooted in togetherness. Even beyond the results, this is the most impressive thing that Carrick and his coaching team have done since coming into the fold at United. They've created a team that are incredibly organized and tough to beat, fluid and exciting on the attacking end, and together in everything they do.
Manchester United cannot compete with the likes of City, Chelsea or Arsenal by playing a possession-based game. Not at present moment. But they can compete with any team in the league by playing on the counter, and racing forward at high speeds. If United were going to win against City today, it was always going to come this way. And against so much of the criticism about United, Carrick didn't try to do anything extraordinary. He just set up a team that would be difficult to break down, full of leadership, and full of attacking intensity on the break. And as a result of that approach, it could have been 4 or 5-0. It could have been that bad for the Citizens. United were that vivacious on the attack. Here is my analysis of United's 2-0 win over City in the Manchester derby.
Since Unai Emery has entered the frame at Aston Villa, we've consistently seen another challenger in the mix for those Champions League places. Now on their eleventh win in a row, Aston Villa are having their best season in over a hundred years. The conversation is no longer about whether or not they can challenge for the top four, but the Premier League title. Here is an an analysis of Unai Emery's Aston Villa in 2025-26, and why they are now on track to challenge for the title.
This is a rather optimistic take on the state of Manchester United, amidst much in the way of common criticism and calls for Amorim's head that will likely continue to circle the media all season long. Here is my tactical analysis of the Red Devils to start the 2025-2026 Premier League season.
Vancouver were far and away the best Canadian side inside Major League soccer last season. Showing much in the way of promise and potential, the Caps still made the decision to change coaches and bring Jesper Sørensen into the equation in place of Vanni Sartini, hoping for better fulfilment behind all that promise this season. Since the opening day of the season, the Whitecaps haven't looked back.
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